Ashok Sridhar Column

- A Prelude –

‘So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked’ - Mark Twain

‘India is a meaningless mass of amorphous humanity’ - Oswald Spengler

These statements have nothing in common, save their subject. It is impossible not to be astonished, overwhelmed and confused by India. Nowhere on Earth does one get to see a potpourri that is such a complex amalgamation of religions, races and tongues. This prompts opinions from neutral observers that are as contrasting as the ones mentioned above, depending on how a person views the chaotic nature of Indian culture. To some, India is dominated by caste systems that tend to determine the social status of a person, thereby affecting every walk of life, interspersed by religious disputes. But to those who really possess knowledge concerning the evolution of ways of expressing devotion to the almighty, may it be God or nature, and the offshoots of this evolution namely scientific, architectural and spiritual advancements realized by concatenated efforts over many centuries, India is fascinating.

There are certain aspects of India that many westerners find rather strange: arranged marriages, vegetarianism, joint families and religious rituals, to name a few. Some of these aspects may not be in-sync with the rapidly changing world, but there were, and still are, sound reasons behind most (not all – there are some practices that need weeding!) of them. These aspects are embedded in the country’s make-up and they may not make sense when one tries to isolate any particular aspect and analyze it. But, like a jigsaw puzzle, the whole makes definite sense.

It is extremely saddening to note that the history of India dealt with in school textbooks as well as most other publications are based on the interpretations of western historians, who, finding the Indian culture strange and chaotic, misinterpreted it either intentionally or unintentionally. They say, ‘History is written by the winners’; in India’s case, shall we say, ‘History was written and re-written by the winners’, ‘winners’ referring to the various invading forces that India had to face, especially in the second millennium AD. Though yours truly bears no grudge against anyone, there is no hiding from the fact that the facts have been long hidden even from our eyes. The main reasons for this are twofold, the first being the total reluctance on the part of the Europeans to accept the fact that advanced ideas and concepts were developed by people they considered less culturally and academically advanced than (late medieval) Europeans. The second reason is propaganda by the western historians during the colonial era that Indian way of life was devoid of sense and purpose and that the Indian subcontinent should be subjugated so that the western values could be inculcated among the masses, paving way to their country’s gain.

The main intention of this series of articles is to make known, certain facts and facets of India’s past, to which many of us are completely oblivious. It’s high time we set the record straight. Through this series, the ‘real picture’ would be communicated, by quoting publications by recognized authorities in the Orient as well as the Occident. What this series will not deal with is information concerning controversial theories like the ‘Aryan invasion theory’ and religious issues. Indian accomplishments in architecture, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, science etc will be the prime focus. It is sincerely hoped that by the end of this series, the readers would have a clear picture of the real picture and would have acquired knowledge of the achievements for which others have claimed credit so far, but are quintessentially Indian! A note to the readers: this series is not intended to promote jingoism or chauvinism, but to know about and take pride in our ancestors’ achievements and to draw inspiration from them, to propel India to even greater heights in the future. The first article, dealing with Indian mathematics, will be uploaded soon.

For the columns authored by Ashok Sridhar in "Ashok Column", please click here.